How duplicate detection works
When you upload a document that looks like a duplicate, we’ll flag it with a red warning icon in the ‘Status’ column. A document is marked as a duplicate if it has the same Contact, Reference, Issue Date and Total as one already in the system.
You can delete the duplicate straight away. Once you do, the warning will disappear.
We also check for duplicates when you try to publish a document. If we spot a bill or credit note with the same details already in your accounting software, we’ll show a warning. That way, you can double-check and decide if you still want to publish it.
Documents flagged as duplicates won’t be auto-published – they’ll stay in your Inbox until you review them.
Auto-rejecting duplicate documents
If you’d rather prevent duplicates from being uploaded at all, you can turn on auto-rejection. Here’s how to do it:
Go to ‘Settings’ → ‘Rejection log’.
Toggle on the option ‘Auto-reject duplicate documents’.
Once that’s enabled, Apron will automatically reject any duplicate documents you upload, no matter which method you use (see all options in our article: How can I upload a document (bill/receipt/credit note) to Apron?).
Instead of appearing in Bookkeeping or Bill Pay, rejected documents will show up under the ‘Rejection log’ section. If a document was marked as a duplicate by mistake, you can restore it from there.
Note: Auto-rejection only applies to documents uploaded after the setting is turned on. If you’ve already uploaded duplicates, you’ll need to delete them manually.